E3 2010: A man walks into E3 with a million dollars

It sounds like the beginning of a joke until you hear that the man was actually Sir Richard Branson. Then you shrug and think, "I believe it." Sir Richard Branson (Founder of Virgin Group) is putting his money into another endeavor: virgingaming.com.

He actually showed up to E3 in an armored truck with $1,000,000 in his hands. Every penny of that money is going to be given to players via virgingaming.com over the next 12 months. The new site allows gamers to register and compete in tournaments in the biggest triple-A titles.

Virgin Gaming to giveaway over $1,000,000 in cash and prizes in the next 12 months to Virgin Gaming members

Los Angeles, CA, June 15, 2010 – After months of anticipation and speculation within the interactive entertainment industry, Sir Richard Branson, Founder of the Virgin Group, today unveiled Virgin Gaming, an online destination for competitive console gamers. Built on a pioneering online gaming platform, Virgin Gaming enables gamers of all skill levels from around the world to meet, challenge and play each other in head to head matches and tournaments for cash, points and prizes.

In true Virgin style, Sir Richard Branson followed up the Virgin Gaming launch announcement by pulling up to the Electronic Entertainment Expo in a fully armored truck with $1-million in cash in hand. His message was clear – over the next 12 months Virgin Gaming will run a series of big prize tournaments with cash payouts totaling $1-million. Gamers from around the world will have the opportunity to win their share of prizes by visiting virgingaming.com and registering for official Virgin Gaming tournaments.

“Gamers want something new, something interactive and something fun. Virgin Gaming is just that – access to play the best games in super competitive tournaments with anyone in the world and win the biggest prizes and the most rewards,” said Sir Richard Branson, Founder of the Virgin Group, and gamer-in-training. “Giving away over $1 million in cash and prizes this year is proof. We’ve had great success with Virgin Games and Virgin Interactive Entertainment and recognized the enormous potential of an online community of 40 million daily users. I welcome gamers from novice to expert to join the online Virgin Gaming community.”

Virgin Gaming will host a roster of competitive, triple-A titles from the world’s leading publishers in the interactive entertainment industry. Announcements of specific partners and titles will be made over the next several months.

Virgin Gaming is a convergence of video games, social networking and competitive online gaming, and comes by way of a ground-breaking partnership with WorldGaming.com, which was co-founded by best friends and ultra-competitive gamers, William Levy and Zack Zeldin. With the help of a games industry veteran and now CEO of Virgin Gaming, Rob Segal, the duo quickly developed the site into a template for online competitive gaming, which has been lauded by gamers for its secure transactions as well as a host of robust functionality that includes automatic results verification, a skill ratings system that creates a level playing field by matching players of like abilities, and a reputation management system that makes good sportsmanship a pre-requisite for gaining access to the biggest and best competitions and prizes.

“The entrepreneurial spirit and philosophy for fun and innovation shared between World Gaming and Virgin was critical in the creation of Virgin Gaming, and we are eager to maximize its potential with the online gaming community,” said Rob Segal, CEO of Virgin Gaming. “With Virgin Gaming, we’re offering members more than just a place to compete. We’re offering them the best, safest and most secure online experience with the fresh, fun approach Virgin is known for.”

Adds Virgin Gaming President, Billy Levy, “Gaming is very competitive by nature, and competition is always more exciting when there’s something on the line. There are plenty of tournament leagues out there for the pros, but we created Virgin Gaming as a platform for all gamers to have the experience of playing each other with more at stake than just pride.”

The over $1-million in cash and prize giveaways coupled with several key partnerships that will be announced in the coming months reinforces Virgin Gaming’s commitment to offering the hottest games, the best tournaments and the biggest prizes the competitive gaming world has ever seen.

Gamers of all skill levels are invited to experience Virgin Gaming first-hand at the Virgin Gaming booth located outside of the South Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center during E3. For more information or to join, please visit virgingaming.com.

About Virgin Gaming
Introduced in June 2010 through a partnership with WorldGaming.com, Virgin Gaming is the premier destination for competitive console gamers to meet, challenge and play against each in head-to head and tournament challenges for cash, points and prizes. With an array of proprietary features, including The Fair Play GuaranteeTM (with automatic results validation), a secure payment back end, and a Community Reputation Management System, Virgin Gaming allows gamers to safely and easily find and compete against players of all skill levels from around the world in their favorite multiplayer games. A leading-edge convergence of competitive online gaming and video games, Virgin Gaming offers robust community features with member pages, clan support, invitational tournaments, stats tracking, news, information, and more. For additional information, visit www.virgingaming.com